CombinED
by Drindalis
Summary: Peach Creek has always been fairly quiet, so when the neighboring town of Lemon Brook's school closes down and the students are transferred to Peach Creek High, everything changes. How will Double D and Kevin react when two of the new kids look just like them? Will they be friends? Enemies? Things will never be the same again now that the student bodies are combinED.
1. MergED

**DJG: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy, Nat Goldberg, Reverse!Kevin or Reverse!Double D! I am huge fans of them, however. I've read tons of stories about the Reverse versions of Kevin and Double D, but rarely ever find them in the same story. I always wondered how Kevin and Double D would get along with their opposites, so here you are! Enjoy! (Oh, and expect the possibility of it being cloudy with a chance of KevEdd!)**

* * *

The town of Peach Creek was a peaceful one, with not much new happening outside of the cul-de-sac being built; that was ten years ago and nothing that major had happened since. Sure, there was the time the creek flooded the golf course by the river, but that righted itself in a week or so, and that really wasn't all that exciting. So when the neighboring town's school district filed for bankruptcy due to the lack of students and funds, the whole town was ablaze with gossip.

"Lemon Brook High School is closing down? How horrid!"

"Their swim team was amazing!"

"So what do you think is gonna happen to the kids?"

The remaining 42 children in the school district were going to be merged into Peach Creek High, and the old Lemon Brook school building would be torn down sometime in the next few months, once the desks, books, and other commodities the Peach Creekers could use were taken out of it. There was talk of keeping the auditorium and swimming pool standing, but the rest wasn't really worth saving. There were parts of the school that needed renovations or remodeling that had never been done, and plumbing that needed repairs as well. All in all, nobody with the funds to buy the school were interested in keeping it up to code.

This is where our story begins…

BREAK

Ed giggled to himself as he waddled down the hall, his mind on things such as comic books and video games instead of schoolwork. And that he had a destination in mind: the robotics room. He was on the hunt for his favorite hat-wearing friend and Double D was always in this particular classroom. Peach Creek Elementary didn't have any robotics classes, so once they had moved up to Peach Creek High, the smartest Edd had quickly signed up. Normally the class wasn't offered to freshman, but once the teacher realized Double D probably knew more about robotics than him, he had let him sign up last year. As it was right now, Double D was the only student taking the class during fourth period, so he had the room all to himself. The teacher normally took an early lunch break now, so Double D was completely alone. Ah, solitude.

Now the three Eds were sophomores; Eddy because he was held back due to so many suspensions, Ed because he was a naturally slow student, and Double D because he fell in an age bracket that dictated that he was only supposed to be a sophomore instead of a junior like almost everyone else from the cul-de-sac. There were some negative things about being young, after all. Rolf, Kevin, Nazz, and Johnny were all juniors, but Jimmy and Sarah were freshman. Plank was technically a junior too, but since the piece of wood mainly resided in Johnny's locker, no one really counted him.

Ed had finally made it to the robotics room. Peeking in through the window in the door, he could see Double D working on some sort of project, tweezers in his hand as he steadily began to tweak some miniscule part. Of course, that was when Ed threw open the door and rushed in yelling: "Hiya, Double D!"

With a small shriek, the hat-clad boy reacted as anyone who was surprised would: he flailed backwards and fell of his chair, taking his project with him. It shattered beside him on the ground, and he gave a small groan. "O-Oh dear! Curse your over exuberant entrances, Ed!"

Ed grinned cluelessly, helping Double D up. "And your hair looks nice today too, Double D!"

Double D sighed as he realized his words had once again gone over Ed's head. "I-I mean that you shouldn't sneak up on people, Ed! Now, what did you need?"

The taller boy stood there, blinking as he tried to remember what was so important. "Oh yeah! Eddy said that we are getting new suckers coming to our school today! I want suckers Double D! They are almost as yummy as jawbreakers or gravy!"

Double D blinked. "N-New suckers? Oh! I'm sure he's referring to the new students transferring from Lemon Brook, correct?" At Ed's blank look, he shook his head. "Never mind, Ed. That's wonderful news! Perhaps there will be some other children interested in robotics and the joys of learning!" he said somewhat dreamily, as he always did when talking about school.

Ed burped loudly and then giggled. "I hope they all bring their comic book collections!"

A new voice chimed in from the doorway. "Yeah? Well, I hope they bring all their cash!" Eddy cackled, making his way into the room. AS he headed towards Ed and Double D, he stepped on the previously discarded robot, squealing as he fell backwards and landed on his butt. "Gah! Pick up your junk, will you, Double D?"

The intelligent Edd gasped and lunged for the broken pieces, muttering something about 'spare parts' and 'clumsy rapscallions' as Eddy stood up and continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"Okay! So here's the scam, boys! When the new kids get here, they ain't gonna know how things work around here! I'm sure they all gotta get new library cards for the school library, so we're gonna make fakes and charge them for 'em! Five bucks apiece! Heheheh, it's perfect!" Eddy said excitedly, money sins in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together.

Double D piped up from his place on the floor. "It's impossible, Eddy. Those library cards are already made and laminated, they're in a folder in the principal's office. I just took it down to him last period, per the librarian's request."

Eddy blinked for a long moment before shrieking and lunged at the other boy, grabbing him by his hat. "You did WHAT?! Now my scam doesn't have a chance! Come on, Double D, you're supposed to be the smart one! What do we do now?"

Double D yelped and clung to his hat for dear life. "I-I don't approve of this plan anyways, Eddy! A-and I had n-no way of knowing about it to b-begin with!"

Eddy groaned and released his grip on Double D's hat, groaning as he flopped himself down in a chair. "Now what are we gonna do..?"

Ed, who had been standing there with a blank cheerful expression, looked up at Eddy's words. "Elementary, Eddy! We must find one of Rolf's chickens and then paint the roses red!"

Both Double D and Eddy stared at Ed before giving each other looks of disbelief. "Er, Ed, I don't believe that will work…but thank you for trying." Double D finally answered.

Eddy huffed impatiently. "Yeah, way to go, monobrow. We need a plan that will actually work."

Double D paused and rubbed his chin a bit. "W-Well, ah, there is a way you could get those library cards, Eddy…a-all you have to do is get a detention for after school today and then sneak a few of the cards out from the folder…" He was blushing bright red as he said this. Double D was correct in saying he didn't approve of this plan, but as his friend he felt obligated to help Eddy.

Eddy's eyes went wide as he grinned. "That's perfect, Sockhead! But why not all of them?"

Double D frowned, still more focused on his robot than this little money-making scheme. "Because, Eddy, if you take all of them it is more likely you'll be caught in the middle of this and have to return all of their money."

Eddy clung to Double D's shirt, as if scared of the thought. "Give it all back?! No way! Fine, I'll only grab a couple. Now, come on, Lumpy, we've got a detention to get! Let's go put ketchup in Kevin's gym bag again!"

"Okie dokie Eddy!"

And with that, the two Eds were gone, leaving Double D to sigh and see what parts of his robot were still repairable. It was supposed to be a project for the upcoming science fair, but it looked too damaged to be fixed by then…he'd have to come up with something else later, but for now, he still wanted to work on it. As he tweaked and prodded at it, he was too absorbed in his work to notice the door to the robotics room creak open nearly silently. A small figure about Double D's size set down his bag on the counter, before giving Double D a confused look. All he could see of him was his hat, bobbing slightly as he repaired the robot.

"…Eddward?"

With a small shriek of surprise, Double D jumped, the part he was trying to fix snapping off. He looked up at the boy in front of him and blinked. Huh…big, bulky glasses, a green sweater, and a large red hat on his head that said 'Quiz Bowl'…? Double D had never seen this student before. The boy seemed to be sizing Double D up as well, green eyes looking in confusion from his hat, to his face, to the gap in his teeth.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you were someone else… and I made you break your robot…" the redheaded boy said ashamedly, rubbing the back of his head. Double D frowned a bit as he took in the three bangs poking out from under the kid's hat, the familiar face shape…this kid looked a lot like…

"Kevin? Hey, Kev, where'd you go, man?" called an unfamiliar voice. A very tall kid with teal hair was standing in the doorway, looking impatient.

"Yo, Baarbie, we gotta go! Lunch is the most important meal of the da- wait a minute. Edd? That you? Hell, you got shorter, man!" The kid leaned against the doorway, eyeing Double D confusedly.

The redheaded boy grumbled under his breath. "I am not a Barbie. Stop calling me that…"

Double D looked confused, giving the redhead and the newcomer a strange look. "I-I'm afraid we've never had the pleasure, a-and I'm not sure I can see the resemblance between him and a Barbie doll…w-wait, how do you know my name?"

The teal haired kid stepped into the room, giving Double D a close inspection before grinning cheerfully and sticking his hand out to shake. "Hey, you're not Eddward! At least, not the one I know! Oh, the nickname? This is Kevin Baar, but he sorta acts like a fragile little doll sometimes, so I call him Baarbie. The name's Nat, by the way."

Double D blinked and sprayed Nat's hand with disinfectant before shaking it. "E-Er…I'm Eddward, but my friends call me Double D." He was trying to wrap his head around the idea of a kid at this school who resembled Kevin the bully a great deal, and not only that, had a practically identical-sounding name!

Nat grinned again and pumped Double D's hand. "Far out! Hey, Kev, this kid looks like he'd be a good friend for you, you both seem to be drawn to the robotics room!"

At Nat's outcry, Kev blushed bright red. "I-I…yeah. I really like robotics, but our old school didn't have a class for it…I got excited to come see the room even though I'm not signed up yet…"

Double D smiled brightly, pleased to have actually found a new friend with common interests. "Oh, that's wonderful! Here, you may be interested in these new soldering tools we just inherited from the art metals class! Not enough students signed up, so we get the equipment this year!"

Kevin's eyes lit up as he saw the small precision blowtorch, among other things that would make soldering robotic parts much easier. "Dude..!' he breathed, itching to work on something.

Nat yawned dramatically from the doorway. "Come on, you two, you can play mad scientists later!" the older boy teased. "It's lunch time!"

Kevin looked very put out, but Double D offered a small grin. "Don't worry, we can resume our work after classes are over. It's important to eat a nutritious meal around this time of the day, as well."

Kevin sighed a bit glumly and nodded, pushing his glasses up. "Let's do it, then! Hey, you don't, uh…you don't mind if I sit by you for lunch, do ya? Nat and me normally sit together, but he found a few new jock friends and I think he wants to sit by them, but won't tell me."

Double D smiled while Nat looked embarrassed, all three of them having made their way to the lunch line. "H-Hey, Kev, I'll still sit by you, you know! We've been friends a lot longer…"

Kevin waved him off, smiling. "No, no, it's okay! It's important to make new friends, especially for you. You're probably going to be on sports teams with a lot of these guys anyway."

Nat gave him a grateful smile for his understanding. "Thanks, Kev, man. We'll hang out sometime after you two are done with your robot thing, if that's cool?"

Kev nodded. "That's cool, Nat. See you!"

Nat waved and headed towards the jock table, smoothly sitting down between a bushy haired and strong looking blond and the redheaded terror that had harassed Double D for most of his childhood. Oh, dear, he was looking at him!

The sweater clad Kevin adjusted his bow tie and gave Double D a confused look. "What's wrong, Double D?"

Double D shook his head and continued to hide behind Kev, hoping the other one had lost interest. "Th-that's…Kevin. He's…a bit of a bully, especially to students with more academic interests. He's not so bad when he's alone, but with the rest of his peers watching…erm…"

Kev frowned and turned to look over at the bully, realizing with surprise that the taller boy resembled him a good deal. "H-hey, he looks like me! What's his name again?"

"Why, that's Kevin Barr." a new voice said into Kev's ear. He squeaked and jumped, turning to look at the not-so-new face of one of his own personal harassers from Lemon Brook. Eddward Khouth. The black jacket clad bully had pushed himself right in front of Double D and was smirking at Kev. "He's practically your twin, but he isn't as smart as you. Don't worry, you haven't been replaced, Pumpkin."

Double D squeaked in terror. He had never really listened to Ed when he went on and on about doppelgangers from his comic books, but maybe he should have. If the old Kevin and the new Kevin looked similar, than this person might as well be his reflection. He was much taller, and older, but he looked identical to Double D, down to the gap in his teeth, the black beanie, and even his voice sounded similar! However it was apparent that Double D's inherent kindness was one thing this version of him didn't have. His words had a deceptively cruel, biting edge to them, and he just looked like trouble. Double D was wary of him immediately.

Kev's face was red from how close Eddward had been, but he managed to step back a bit. "Please, Eddward, just, leave me alone, okay?"

Eddward made a mock pout. "Oh, have you replaced me already? How sad. Hey, adorable." He shot the last line towards Double D, who squeaked and pulled his hat down over his eyes. Eddward chuckled and returned his attention to Kevin. "Anyways, Pumpkin, I need your assistance in repairing something of mine. Come over to my house after school and I'll show you, got it? You know what'll happen if you don't show."

Kevin's face turned red, but he nodded.

Eddward grinned, showing off his gap. "Excellent. See you around, then. Goodbye, sweetheart and Pumpkin." With that, the beanie-clad bully vanished, disappearing into the crowd of students. Double D pulled his hat back up and looked around nervously.

"K-Kevin, wh-who was that?"

Kevin looked just as flustered as him, re-adjusting his bowtie. "I, uh…that's Eddward. Eddward Khouth. He's my…um. I'm not sure, actually. He's nice to me when we're alone, but he's a real ass at school."

Double D paused, thinking. "…Is frenemy an inappropriate term?"

Kevin gave a solemn nod. "Yeah, that's about right." 

* * *

**DJG: Hello, and welcome to the end of the chapter! In case anyone was wondering, Reverse!Double D's full name comes from the real voice actor of Double D, who according to Wikipedia is sometimes credited as Samuel Khouth. It also said that Kevin's voice actor is sometimes incorrectly credited as a misspelling of Barr, and is credited as Baar. Hence, Double D's full name is Eddward Vincent, Kevin's real name is Kevin Barr, Reverse!Double D is Eddward Khouth, and Reverse!Kevin is Kevin Baar. I'll be doing my best to make Kevin and Reverse!Kevin easily distinguishable, but let me know if it isn't clear who is who. Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. AttackED

**DJG: Hello, and welcome back to CombinED! Hope that there's still come interest in this, because I've got a lot more planned! XD Well, enjoy chapter two!**

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The rest of the day went by rather slowly, with Kevin having to go to his freshman English class with Ed, while Double D and Eddy went to the sophomore math class. Eddy griped and grumbled and complained, while Double D was excited for another day of working on geometry.

Halfway through the class, however, Double D began squirming a bit uncomfortably in his seat as he realized he needed to use the facilities. A bit reluctantly, he raised his hand to request permission to leave, unhappy about missing important knowledge of the lecture. However, when nature called, you couldn't just ignore it. So, a bit glumly, he quickly made his way down the hall and to the restroom. Once that business was concluded, he began making his way back to class.

Double D was so distracted thinking about all the learning he was missing that he didn't see an imposing figure watching him from further down the hallway. He _did_ notice, however, when the hat-clad person grabbed his arm and pushed him up against a locker. He squeaked in fear as Eddward Khouth smirked down at him, his own gap in his teeth flashing as he spoke. "What do we have here? A lost little Peachie wandering the Lemon Brook hallway..? Tsk, tsk. This isn't where you belong, no matter how smart you think you are."

Double D squirmed in outrage at the dig at his intelligence. He hated when he was looked down upon for being younger, and therefore, less brainy than others. Intelligence wasn't defined by age... "N-Now, see here, M-Mr. Khouth! I-I was just on m-my way back to geometry, th-there is n-no need for p-petty insults!"

Double D squeaked as Eddward reached down and pulled his chin up to face him. "Well, well, well. I didn't get a chance to get a good look at you in the lunch line, but I guess the rumors are true. I do look like the not-so-famous Double D. Or, more accurately, you look like me."

Double D's face turned red out of both embarrassment and anger. "I-I can't help the way I look-!"

Eddward cut him off with a condescending little shushing noise. "Quiet, sweetheart, will you? Now, it seems to me that you and my little Pumpkin are becoming quite the close pair, and that's sweet and all, but you're not making anything easier on yourselves by making it so obvious that you're friends. Any enemies of yours at this school will target him, just like any bullies of his from Lemon Brook will target you. You both need to watch yourselves...let me give you some incentive to take better care of each other~. Besides, I want to be distinguishable from a dork like you."

Before Double D could react, Eddward had slammed a fist into his eye and then into his stomach. The smaller of the two gave a cry before Eddward grabbed him by his hat and opened Kevin's locker, shoving him in and slamming it shut. Double D gave a low moan, one hand coming up to rub at his eye pathetically. Ouch, that stung...not only that, but this was one of the salvaged Lemon Brook lockers, the kind that didn't open from the inside...sigh...

He felt Eddward lean against the locker to peer in at him through the cracks and was surprised by the small flickering of guilt he could see in his eyes.

"...my apologies, sweetheart, but this is a lesson you two need to learn." And then he was gone.

Double D squirmed and wriggled, trying to get some air back in his lungs. He could feel Kevin's anatomy project under his feet, slowly being crushed under his weight, and for that he felt horrible. However, the locker was too small for him to maneuver around to move it somewhere else. His fingers tried to tug at the latch of the locker but it refused to budge. It just wasn't made to be opened from the inside.

After about a half hour of struggling, groaning, and trying to get out, he heard the bell that signaled class being let out. Oh /no/! His bag was still in the room and the teacher would think he was cutting class! This was a tragedy! He needed to get out and explain!

He tried to call for assistance but the noises of kids and lockers slamming were just too loud to be heard over. And then he heard a familiar voice.

"Move it along, Fancypants, we gotta find Double D!" That was...Eddy's voice?

Another voice, closer. "I'll help you look for him, I just need to get my book out of my locker. Do you think something bad happened to him?"

The locker door was suddenly opened, and surprised, Double D fell forward with a cry onto the unsuspecting nerd. Kevin screamed in surprise, falling backward while an embarrassed Double D whimpered apologies and tried to move himself off of his young friend. However, Kevin quickly caught sight of his black eye.

"Whoa! Double D, what happened to your face!" Kevin asked, nervously adjusting his glasses. "Th-that looks pretty bad."

Double D got to his feet and helped Kev up. "I-I believe his exact words were that he 'wanted to be distinguishable from a dork like me'."

Kev's face turned dark, Eddy's doing the same. "He said /what/?" Eddy demanded. "It was that loser creep who looks like you but acts like...like...Kevin! Wasn't it?!"

Kevin made a face. "He does /not/ act like me!"

"Not you, Fancypants! The other Kevin!"

Double D bit his lip as he began to think more about what Eddward had said...he actually had several good points...if any of the jocks saw the two 'nerds' had become friends they would both become targets.

"K-Kevin, I..."

Without warning, gym class let out. With a rush, jocks were crowding the halls, and unfortunately it looked like the bigger Kevin was heading right for him with a glint of determination in his eyes.

"Hey, Double Dweeb, come here. I wanna talk to you." He announced. Immediately, Double D had a bad feeling. He had had good encounters with Kevin before, such as if he needed homework help or advice on how to fix something, but he was always discreet. Now he wanted attention, so that could only mean one thing.

A beating.

Double D fidgeted and bit his lip nervously, giving the other Kevin a pleading look. "I-I, um..."

"_Now, _Dork!"

Giving a small yelp, Double D moved over towards Kevin, ignoring the smaller one who whispered "No, Double D!" as he left. Eddy growled menacingly, following closely behind Double D.

"Hey, lay off him, Shovelchin! Sockhead is my friend, not yours, you don't get to talk to him!"

Kevin growled and got up in Eddy's face. "I don't believe I asked you, pipsqueak! Now instead of trying to hit me, why don't you go try and hit puberty!"

The crowd of people around them laughed and hooted at that one, while Double D laid a concerned hand on Eddy's shoulder. "P-Please, Eddy, I must insist you take Kev and go...I-I'll be along shortly."

Kevin smirked, shifting his weight onto one leg. "You heard your pet dork, loser. Bounce. I promise I'll give him back mostly intact later."

Kev's face was red with anger and he stormed forward, in between Double D and Kevin. "You leave him alone! He's already had enough today, can't you see his eye is messed up? He doesn't need anything else from you!"

Kevin looked at the furious redhead in front of him with confusion, before it turned to anger. This kid may be very...resembling of him, but he had a mouth on him and Kevin didn't like being disrespected in front of his team.

"Step off, nerd!" He growled, reaching forward and pushing Kev back.

Double D spoke up, upset by Kevin's treatment of the freshman boy. "Kevin! Please desist, he didn't do anything to you!"

That was the wrong thing to say. "Oh yeah? It was you two nerds who put ketchup in my gym bag today, wasn't it? James saw you do it!"

Double D looked confused, while Kev looked upset. "James is a liar!"

Eddy nodded angrily. "He must be, because me and Ed did that! Sockhead and Fancypants were in class!"

"Ed and I, Eddy."

"Shut it, Sockhead, I'm trying to help you here."

Kevin growled. "I don't care if it was all of you, this guy's the smart guy, and I know Ed is too stupid to come up with this. So it must have been Double Dork!"

"...It was me." Kev spoke up, eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms defiantly.

"What!?" Double D, Kevin, and Eddy all demanded at the same time.

"I told Ed and Eddy to put ketchup in your gym bag. Double D tried to stop me, but I ignored him."

Double D grabbed Kev's arm and hissed. "Wh-what are you doing? He's going to seriously damage you if you aren't silent!"

Kev shook him off and gave the junior a glare. "So yeah, it was me. What are you going to do about it?"

A few minutes later, Double D, with the help of Ed and Eddy, managed to pull the locker door open and pry Kevin out. He was a little worse for wear, with a matching black eye and split lip, but he was grinning anyway, ridiculously pleased with himself. "Did you hear me? I was awesome! I didn't need Nat to protect me this time!"

"Protect you from what?" Asked the teal haired boy himself, appearing at the end of the hall with his gym bag slung over his shoulders.

Kevin gasped, one hand trying to cover his black eye while not looking too obvious. "I-I…uh…"

Double D looked down in shame. "Kevin from the football team took out some of his misguided anger at me and Eddy on this Kevin…I-I'm so ashamed!"

Eddy rubbed the back of his head and tried to ignore the weeping Edd who was clinging to his shirt. "Knock it off, Sockhead, I told you guys it was my fault! Now shaddup about it!"

Nat's eyes widened. "Kevin did _what?_ Oh, man, I'm sorry, Kev, really… I'm sure Kevin is too, he's really a good guy, honest!"

Kev's eyes widened and filled with hurt. "Y…you're going to defend him? After what happened? I..I thought we were best friends..?"

"The best!" Nat quickly agreed. "It's just.. I've gotten to know Kevin through sports meets with Peach Creek before, so I kind of know him pretty well too. It's just…he's got it hard sometimes, so don't get too mad at him."

Kev's eyes narrowed, and so did Eddy's. "Oh, okay, so just because you're friends with him, he can do no wrong? He used your friend for a punching bag and stuffed him in a locker and you don't even care? Some friend you are." huffed Eddy, rolling his eyes.

Nat groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Eddy, it isn't like that. Kev, you _know_ I've got your back, man, don't you? I just…I'm sorry Kevin beat you up, I really am, I just-"

"Save it, Nat…I get it. You've got other friends and so do I. Come on, Double D. Let's go get that robot running again." Kev interrupted, eyes filled with hurt as he grabbed Double D's hand and tugged him down the hall towards the robotics classroom. Nat watched them go a bit sadly, wishing he could explain. Eddy rolled his eyes. "Way to go, Big Blue." With that biting retort, he followed after the two towards the robotics room.

* * *

**DJG: And so the plot thickenssss. I wanted to use this chapter to introduce Rev!Double D and Reg!Kevin a little more since last chapter was all about Double D and Rev!Kevin. Next chapter will probably be a POV switch to Reg!Kevin and how the morning went from his side of things, with a side of Reg!Kevin/Rev!Edd interaction to top it off. XD Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!**


	3. ConflictED

DJG: Sorry for the huge wait for an update, everyone! For the full author's note, check the bottom of the chapter. But for now, here's the story! Enjoy! ;)

* * *

Kevin grumbled to himself, glaring at the rest of the kids in his P.E. class. The teacher had announced that it was time for a good, old fashioned game of dodge ball. Now, Kevin usually _loved_ dodge ball, but for some reason the teacher had made the teams pretty uneven skill-wise today. Most of the jocks and football players were on the other team, and Kevin was mixed in with a bunch of Lemon Brookers. Not many of them looked good. There were a few girls that looked afraid of the balls, and some scrawny boys that could only throw slowly in a straight line, but at least they weren't totally useless.

Unfortunately the other team was pretty stacked. It contained the majority of the football players, and most of the baseball team as well. There was a new, unfamiliar kid on Nat's side who was a Lemon Brook student. Apparently his name was James, and he had bushy blonde hair and braces. That was where his dork-ness ended. He looked ripped, like he spent most of his time working out. He cracked his knuckles and smirked, picking up one of the balls. "You guys are going down." he said, crossing his arms.

Kevin grinned. Finally, an athletic challenge. "Bring it on, dude." Scoping out the other team, he frowned as he realized that most of the kids he counted on during dodge ball were on the other team. Not only that, but Nat was on that team too. Nat Goldberg was really the only Lemon Brooker he knew from before the merge, as their teams had played each other since middle school. Not only that, but once when his bike chain had snapped on the way home from football practice, Nat had driven by and offered to drive him home. As it turned out, Nat only lived a few blocks away from the cul-de-sac, and as a thank you for the ride, Kevin let him in to hang out for awhile, and the two had become fast friends. Turns out, Nat was a pretty cool dude, and Kevin was glad to have him as a friend. Sure, he had his jock buddies, but they weren't exactly what he would call reliable except on the field.

Suddenly, an argument could be heard from the sidelines.

"Take the hat off, son. This isn't a classroom, I don't allow fashion in my gym."

"It isn't for fashion and I'm not playing. Dodge ball is barbaric and trivial."

Kevin frowned as he glanced over, seeing the gym teacher locked in a verbal exchange with…Double Dork?! No, it couldn't be. This kid was at least his own size, if not a little taller. Double D was at least a head shorter than him, but looked even smaller when he was cowering (He usually was). However, this guy looked exactly like him, he was even wearing the same ski-hat.

"I'm not gonna ask again, kid. Take it off or I'll have to give you an F for the day."

Kevin watched with interest as the Double D look alike narrowed his eyes and reached up to tug off his hat, revealing jet black hair and a wicked looking scar traveling from his hairline to the middle of his head. He scowled at the gasps and oblivious stares from the rest of the kids, before giving the surprised gym teacher another snarl. "Do you have any other nosy questions or demands? I'd hate for you to have to leave my personal business alone."

The gym teacher opened his mouth as if to argue, sighed, and shook his head. "Fine, you can wear the hat, Eddward. Get to the left side of the gym, you're on Kevin's team. Go!" With that, he blew the whistle.

Eddward blinked in surprise, his face twisting into a small frown. "I don't underst-"

Before he could finish speaking, the room exploded into action, balls being flung viciously from both sides of the court. Kevin grinned, going by instinct as he chucked balls left and right, taking out as many of the football players as he could. On the other side, James did the same, knocking out many of Kevin's teammates while many of the girls and scrawny nerds were taken out immediately.

Kevin's eyes narrowed as he watched Eddward's reaction to the dodge ball.  
He seemed fine to a regular onlooker, but Kevin had been the quarterback on the football team for 3 years now, and he knew how to tell who was able to deal with pressure and who would flake out. By the look of Eddward's face, he wasn't dealing with this well. He didn't move to pick up a ball, instead watching the opposing team with a leer out from under the black ski cap he wore. Almost like he was hiding…or trying to glare every ball that flew by him into submission.

Kevin's musings were interrupted as a red vinyl ball collided with the side of his face, sending him stumbling backwards as Nat made an 'oh shit' face from the other side of the court.

"Dude! Kevin, shit, I'm sorry! Wasn't aiming for your face, promise!" the teal haired boy called, looking repentant. Kevin shook his head to clear it, and looked over, playing it off. He had a reputation to upkeep…

"'S no big deal." he shrugged, despite the fact that the right side of his face was throbbing and he knew it would bruise. The redhead began to walk to the side of the gym where the other kids who were 'out' were sitting. He sat down heavily, hand rubbing the side of his face as he assessed the remaining players.

Nat's team had been reduced down to just him and James, while the rest of Kevin's team consisted of a group of giggling girls, one of those creepy Kanker sisters (Max? Mary? It was the blonde one, who bothered keeping track of their names?), and Sarah. And, of course, Eddward.

What was his deal? He wasn't even trying to pick up one of the many balls on their side. He was just glaring at everyone, especially James. The jock in question gave a wicked grin and said something in a low voice, but due to the echoey nature of the gym combined with the shriek from the Kanker sister as Nat got her out, Kevin couldn't quite hear. All he knew was that it made Eddward's face twist into a venomous sneer and turned as if to leave the gym. He quite literally had one foot out the door when it happened.

James, clearly angry at not getting the response he wanted, took the ball in his hand and hurled it as hard as he could at the back of Eddward's head. The velocity was clearly not one intended to merely get someone 'out'. He wanted it to _hurt._

The ball collided with the back of that black ski cap, causing the teen to stumble forward and freeze. Nobody moved. Nobody even breathed. The entire gym fell silent.

Eddward whirled around, the hat having been knocked slightly askew from the hit. It cast a shadow over his eyes, despite the abundance of light in the gym. He was visibly trembling, out of anger, maybe?

Things happened very quickly after that.

Before Kevin could even blink, Eddward was face to face with James, fists clenched and shaking in rage.

"You must have an absolute _death wish _if you are willing to instigate a fight with me IN THE MIDDLE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION!"

His voice seemed huge as it echoed and bounced off the walls, the pitch raising as did the volume. It didn't seem possible that the usually quiet, brooding kid could be _this pissed off _over dodge ball.

James stayed cool despite the fact that there was 6 feet, 2 inches of screaming furious teenager right in front of him.

"Let it go, _princess._ It's just a game. Don't get so sore about it. People might think you've got a 'problem' or something."

Kevin's brow furrowed. He had no idea what they were talking about, it seemed like they weren't just arguing about the game, _or _James' cheap shot. Did these two have a history? Just great, that was exactly what Kevin needed. More drama to keep track of.

"Now, now, boys, break it up. No fighting in my gym. Edd, you're out. Hit the showers, _now." _the gym teacher growled, standing between the two teens to stop things from escalating further.

The shorter of the two students gave one last leer, before turning to leave. "Gleefully. And it's _Eddward. _Ed is that drooling idiot that hangs around the money loving simpleton, Eddy." And with that, he was gone.

The gym teacher seemed unsure of what to do all of a sudden, with all attention on him. "What're you all starin' at? Get back to the game or else everyone's gonna give me laps!" Everyone bolted back to their positions, either on the bench or on the court. James seemed smug about something… hm. Weird. Oh well, it wasn't any of his business. With that idea firmly in mind, Kevin went back to focusing on the game, all thoughts of sock headed losers out of his head.

* * *

DJG: Okay, if you actually care enough about my reasons for not updating in a bazillion years, thanks so much! ;) I promise they're all story related. I had to step back and do a little research on the characters, as well as some plot ideas I had. I have numerous directions I want to take this story, so it may become a much larger story than I originally intended. Not only that, but I had to decide whether or not to turn this into KevEdd or reverse!KevEdd, and that's still up for debate. If you want this story to become KevEdd or rev!KevEdd, please drop me a review and let me know! I'll write whatever the readers want! ;) I thought about possibly having slight hints of rev!Edd and Edd, aka DoubleDoubleD. XD But that may or may not happen, depending on you guys. *dramatic drum roll* It's all up to YOU!


	4. ConfusED

DJG: Sorry for taking forever to upload this chapter, college is nasty and I am not okay with how much time it takes. Le sigh. Hopefully next semester will be better. Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter! :)

* * *

Kevin headed for the locker room as soon as gym was over. As one of the school's jocks, he was given a bit of leeway by the gym teacher, and was allowed to leave and change sooner than the rest.

However, the locker room wasn't empty as it usually was.

Kevin froze in the doorway, eyes wide as they fell upon the sight before him.

Standing at the sink, hands trembling a bit and holding on to the sides of the ceramic for support, was Eddward, who was visibly sweating and staring into the mirror as he spoke.

"Gather yourself, Eddward...r-remain calm. Th-this is no longer middle school, a-and James will not hurt you as he once did. Dodge ball is s-simply a child's game...shying away from it is beneath you-! Th-this is simply an o-overabundance of s-serotonin...c-caused by..." He trailed off, running a hand up to his head and tugging the ski hat off, his fingers tangling in his dark hair as he stared hard at his scar.

It was at that moment that his eyes locked with Kevin's in the mirror.

Eddward froze, before whirling around and giving a snarl. "You! What gives you the _right_?! How dare you!?" He demanded, grabbing Kevin by the front of his gym shirt and slamming him into the wall.

Kevin's breath was knocked out of him, his green eyes widening as he looked up at the taller boy. He was only taller by the slightest amount, but in their current predicaments, he felt much smaller than usual.

And then it hit Kevin. He made other people feel like this /all the time/. The teen had been akin to royalty all throughout elementary school and had never been challenged for that spot. So to have someone physically attack him for something as simple as walking into the locker room (something he had bullied nerds for in the past), made him feel terrible.

He felt like a dick.

Eddward's eyes were narrowed and angry. "You...! You were not supposed to see me in this state!" He snapped, his hands tightening in Kevin's shirt so much that he was nearly lifting him from the ground.

Kevin was still reeling from the idea that he wasn't just a jock. Wasn't a popular kid, necessarily. He was a _bully_. He had never considered that before. It was such an ugly word, but that was exactly what he was.

Shame was not an emotion he was familiar with, and he didn't like the way it felt at all.

"L-look, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be in here." He said, looking away.

Eddward blinked in surprise. An apology? And a genuine one, at that? How curious. But was it a trick somehow?

He sneered. "Of course not. You don't care about anyone's whereabouts except for yourself and others you deem 'popular' enough. I was just assaulted by a classmate, and you didn't even wonder where I had gone, did you?"

Kevin's head hung as Eddward continued to speak. Never had he felt so low. The hat clad teen didn't seem to realize just how strong of an effect his words were having on Kevin, either.

"No, of course not. You were probably thinking of ways to terrorize your weaker classmates. Perhaps bully Double Dimwit into doing your homework for you, hm?"

At that, Kevin snapped, anger in his eyes at the insult to the smaller boy. "Leave him out of this!"

Eddward arched an eyebrow. "Why? He's simply another nerd to you. A dork. Unworthy of anything but abuse and perhaps a public beating to reinforce your own authority."

Kevin grit his teeth. Why was this talk of Double Dorko getting to him so much? He didn't really care about that loser, he was just one of the Eds. He was just-

Oh, God, Eddward was right.

"Shut up, man! You don't know anything about him, so just leave him out of this!" Kevin retorted, shoving the other boy's hands off him.

Eddward's expression went predatory. "Oh, I know enough. He has been classified into a friendship group based on a common first name, and is constantly being roped into money making schemes against his will. Still, a sense of camaraderie with them keeps him from changing the situation. In layman's terms? Double D is a whore, a whore so desperate for friendship and acknowledgement he would do _anything_ to keep things this way."

Kevin's fist slammed into Eddward's face.

"He's not like that!" Kevin screamed, face red with anger. "Double D never starts any shit with anyone, it's that stupid Eddy! The sockhead just tries to help people with his dumb little inventions! He's not a whore! Call him that again, and I'll kick your ass, got it!?" He seethed, fully prepared to beat the snot out of this Lemon Brook asshole for talking trash about a Peach Creek kid.

Instead of fighting back, Eddward merely grinned, flashing a gapped smile as he dramatically clapped his hands. "Well, well. We're learning, aren't we, Kevin? In the course of one conversation, you've admitted to yourself that you are indeed a bully, and think less of people who are not you. And not only that, you've already begun to change your own image. You defended a dork's honor in front of someone athletically inclined. Well done." He said in a bit of a mocking tone, standing and beginning to stroll away.

Kevin stared at him, eyes wide. He was confused, what the hell just happened!?

Eddward threw up a hand, as of waving, before exiting the locker room.

"Only you can choose where to go from here. I tore you down, now build yourself back up. See you around, Pumpkin."

* * *

School ended quickly after that, with Double D and Kev walking towards their homes together as they discussed Double D's robotics project.

The boy's conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a car's engine rumbling behind them. Double D turned, confused, only to freeze as he spotted the driver of the red sportsy convertible headed their direction. White sunglasses with green lenses. Brown hat. Scraggly unshaven goatee.

Eddy's brother.

It had been three years since he had last seen him, but Double D could have sworn that he still remembered exactly how painful it was to be hit with a door into the ground.

"K-Kev, w-we should be leaving now!" He squeaked, almost hiding behind the smaller boy as the car pulled up beside them, Eddy's brother smirking over the lenses of his sunglasses.

"Heeeey, it's the girlfriend! And that so called 'macho man' tough guy who thought he could take me on? How're kicks?" He asked, a smirk on his lips. His words were friendly but his tone held danger. Double D was trembling visibly and didn't have the ability to explain that Kev was not the same boy that had helped them fight off Eddy's brother back in middle school. Even with Kevin, Rolf, Nazz, and the Kanker Sisters, the one who had done most of the work was Ed, who was sick and tired of standing by and watching Eddy's brother beat the snot out of his two closest friends.

Kev's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Macho man? I think you're confusing me with someone else." He stated, unsure of why Double D was so distressed. It sounded like these two had a history...

"No way, man, I never forget a face. Why don't you boys hop on in? Let's go for a ride, for old times' sake." His voice held a teasing tone to it, although there was a hint of darkness in it, suggesting he was asking another question entirely. Kev immediately felt uncomfortable.

Double D was now on the verge of hyperventilating. They couldn't run away, Eddy's brother was in a vehicle, and they were two nerds. Escape was unlikely. What could they do?

Eddy's brother noticed their hesitation. "C'mon, girlfriend, don't be such a killjoy. Don't you wanna check up on me? To see if I'm 'setting an example for my little bro and being a responsible sibling?'" His fingers drummed along the steering wheel. Double D flinched as his words from before were thrown back in his face.

"I-I..." He wasn't sure what to do, he was on the verge of panic! This was bad! Luckily, he wasn't alone.

Kev made a face. "Listen, um, 'sir', me and Double D need to get home, our friends are waiting for us."

A bold faced lie, Eddy was in detention, Ed was being tutored, and he had just blown Nat off over a stupid fight. Stupid! They had nobody to help them!

Eddy's brother rolled his eyes, leaning towards them as if about to jump out of the car. "Oh, I'm sure. I'll bet the whole cul-de-sac is waiting for you two to come home. Won't _they_ be disappointed?" He smirked again, only this time, nothing was funny.

"Ahem."

Double D, Kev, and Eddy's brother all blinked and turned to the other side of Eddy's brother's car, where, to their immense surprise, stood a familiar tall figure.

Eddward's blue green eyes locked on to Eddy's brother, as if sizing him up. "I'm afraid they will have to decline your invitation." He said calmly, crossing his arms in his leather jacket and leaning against the red car. He was the picture of relaxation, like nothing about this situation was odd.

"I'm seeing double-!" Eddy's brother murmured, squinting up at Eddward's face. This kid looked exactly the same as the girlfriend! What was going on? Did the sockhead have a twin brother?

Double D and Kev gaped at the older teen. Surely there was some mistake. Why would Eddward step in to try and help them? He was just another bully...wasn't he? Well, Kev knew better than that, but he still hadn't expected him to assist.

Eddy's brother tried to regain control of the situation, looking Eddward up and down and licking his lips. "Well, that's a bummer for them. Maybe someday I can give _you_ a ride, eh?"

Kev's jaw dropped. This creep had a lot of nerve, talking to Eddward like that! Double D's eyes flicked between the two, nervously biting his nails.

Eddward made a small, flirtatious smile, revealing the gap in his front teeth as he leaned closer. "I suppose anything is possible. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of acquiring your name?"

Eddy's brother gave a lewd grin, taking his sunglasses off. "It's Eric. I'm Eddy's big brother. You might have heard of me." He made an obvious show of looking the swimmer up and down. Evidently he liked what he saw.

Kev blinked, grabbing Double D's arm. "Let's get out of here!" He hissed, tugging on the taller of the two's arm and beginning to walk away.

Eric's eyes darted back to them. "Excuse me, sweetheart, I just have a little unfinished business with these two. You understand the situation." He said to Eddward, turning his attention back to the two nerds and acting as if he was about to get out of the car.

"Oh. I'm afraid it's _you_ who doesn't understand the situation, 's_weetheart_.'" Eddward's voice hardened instantly, eyes narrowing under the shadow of his hat. Eddy's brother turned back to look at the teen, confusion in his features. He gave a choked gasp as Eddward's fingers wrapped around his shirt and yanked him nearly over the side of the car.

"You listen to me, right now, you sick son of a bitch. Those two?" He gestured towards Double D and Kev. "Those dorks are _mine. _The only one with the right to abuse or harass them is me, and if I ever hear a notion that you've attempted to contact them again, I will not hesitate to teach you why that is a mistake...lesson by painful lesson. Are we clear...'Bro'?" He asked, eyes dangerous. His volume had never risen above a speaking tone, but the way he said it still sent cold shivers down Kev's spine.

Eddy's brother resisted the urge to tremble, instead playing it off, yanking Eddward's hands off him. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, but you better watch yourself, brat!" He snapped, before hitting the gas and peeling out, ignoring the fact that despite having the last word, he was the one who was scared off. Eddward hmphed and crossed his arms, glancing back over at Double D and Kev.

"You. Double Distracting. That was for the event with the locker. We're even now." He said. Double D nodded quickly, relief evident in his features despite the blush he acquired from the nickname. He'd take a beating and spending a class in a locker a thousand times over to have avoided getting in the car with Eddy's brother.

Eddward's attention returned to Kev. "Now, Pumpkin...we, however, are _not_ even. Come with me, I am returning to my home. I require your assistance in a project I am completing." And with that, he turned to leave, knowing without looking that Kev would follow.

And the shorter boy did, a feeling of gratitude and...something else in his chest. Respect? No, that wasn't quite it...

Double D blinked at the retreating pair, not bothering to call Kev back. They would simply have to hang out another time. And so, he turned the opposite direction and continued the trek home alone.

* * *

"He did WHAT?!" Eddy shrieked, eyes bugging out wildly at the news that his brother was back in town.

Double D rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "He...he attempted to get both Kev and myself to get into the vehicle with him...I suspect if Eddward hadn't arrived that he would have used force."

Eddy tugged at his hair impatiently. "That sneaky bastard! He hasn't told my parents that he's back in town! Why would he come crawlin' back to the cul-de-sac after all this time? And why was he tryin' to pick you up?" He asked, shooting a look at Double D.

The hat wearing Edd shook his head. "I admit, I am perplexed as well. He seemed convinced that Kev was actually Kevin, and seemed to be trying to instigate a fight."

Ed blinked and gave a small frown. "I do not like Eddy's brother, Double D! He is like the villainous Captain Flapjack in my comic book! He will destroy us all!" He cried, covering his mouth with his hands as if Eddy's brother would pop out of nowhere.

Double D blinked in surprise at Ed's honest reaction. He wouldn't have expected Ed to really understand the situation...but the taller boy had surprised him yet again. He gave a nod. "I understand your concerns, Ed."

Eddy shot then both a look. "Do you? Do you really? My bro's crazy, if he was trying to get to Sockhead and the nerdy Kevin, then he's gonna try again. I'm gonna tell my parents he's back in town, maybe they'll keep him occupied for awhile."

Double D nodded. "That seems plausible. I must admit, he seemed rather angry at Eddward Khouth, and I worry a bit for his safety as well. He did, in a sense, rescue us from your brother."

Eddy snorted. "That dickhead? Forget him! He's trouble, I don't care if he was nice once! He can handle himself."

* * *

Kevin frowned to himself as he sat at his desk at home, a can of pop in one hand and his phone in the other. He was idly searching the web, not really doing anything productive. He tried to tell himself he was having fun, but he kept being distracted by a nagging thought at the back of his mind.

Eddward.

Not the little one that he had grown up harassing. The new one, the one who he had caught having a panic attack in the bathroom today.

The one who had basically shattered his self image and scattered the pieces around in the course of one conversation.

Kevin sighed and rubbed his temples. "Damn it." He had never really thought about the consequences of his actions before. With his mom long gone, and his dad often busy at work, Kevin had never really had a solid grasp of how he was supposed to behave.

Now he had all this guilt, and wasn't sure what to do with it. But what was that Eddward had said? 'I tore you down, now build yourself back up?' How did he do that? This was getting way too deep for him.

As much as he didn't like it, it was true. He could change how he appeared to others...if he wanted.

On one hand, he could start being nicer, and assuage his guilty conscience. On the other, he had the football team and most of the school wrapped around his finger. He decided what was cool, and dished out punishment to those who weren't. Would he give that up?

Could he?

Cursing under his breath, he tossed the pop aside and reached into his desk drawer for a bottle of something stronger. A nice drink of Black Velvet, stolen from his dad's liqueur cabinet. He took a swig, giving a noise of disgust at the sharp flavor and harsh burn of the whiskey. However, a few mouthfuls later, he got the effect he was looking for.

He couldn't have an existential crisis sober, now could he?

* * *

DJG: Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with CombinED for the long breaks between chapters! Hopefully the next update will be up to everyone's standards! :) Love you all!


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